MEPs, MPs urge caution in use of biofuels; call for ban on use of palm oil
Wed 18 October 2006
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The European Parliament’s industry committee has called for an EU-wide ban on the use of biofuels derived from palm oil. MEPs called for the ban over concerns about the impacts of palm oil production on indigenous forestry in their a response to the European Commission’s proposals for an EU transport biofuels strategy.
Concerns over the 'upstream' impacts of growing biofuels market were also raised by UK MPs in an Early Day Motion tabled by LibDem MP Norman Baker.
The EDM - a mechanism for indicating the level of concern amongst MPs about an issue - also cautions that the growth in palm oil, sugar cane and soya production from South-East Asia and South America is leading to the destruction of tropical forests and other highly prized ecosystems. It states that this destruction is causing massive carbon emissions unaccounted for in many models of biofuel `emissions savings'. It says that the burning of palm oil and other imported biofuels with significant negative impacts should not be classed and supported as `renewable energy'.
The EDM goes on to suggest that the large carbon emissions - exceeding, it says, all savings of the Kyoto Protocol - from the peat and forest fires in South-East Asia are linked to the spread of plantations, which are increasingly being developed for biofuel production.
The EDM had received the signatures of 26 MPs by the time of writing (18 Oct).
Meanwhile, according to the Financial Times, the car maker Volkswagen also attacked biofuels made from food crops as unsustainable, setting the company at odds with most US carmakers and European governments.
Bernd Pischetsrieder, VW chief executive, called on politicians to reduce tax breaks for “first-generation” biofuels - made from corn, wheat, rape seed and sugar beet - and switch support to technologies that VW believe promise greater cuts in carbon dioxide.
According to the FT, Mr Pischetsrieder described some of the current biofuels as “totally pointless” and “like a wolf in sheep’s clothing”. He criticised tax benefits that were not linked to carbon dioxide, since some production methods can even lead to higher carbon emissions than conventional fuel use, he said.
Related Links
Early Day Motion 2680 - full text
EU biofuels Directive - review of consultation responses
SMMT European Report - MEPs call for palm oil ban
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